Before We Met
by Zephyros-Phoenix
Summary: REQUEST - ximsol182, no pairing. This is a oneshot about each of the Gundalian agents/minor 12 Orders Zenet, Jesse, Mason, Lena, Sid and Ren before they met and came together as a team.


**This is a oneshot requested from ximsol182 to write about each of the Gundalian agents: Ren, Sid, Jesse, Mason, Lena and Zenet, before they all came together and became a team. This was originally very hard for me to write as it is a prequel about six different characters so it was hard to portray them in six different ways.**

**Each bold section is like a computer information on each character.**

**I do not own Bakugan, only this oneshot.**

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><p><strong>Normal POV<strong>

**Name: Zenet Surrow  
>ID: 93457<br>Bakugan: Haos Contestir  
>Note: Subject has suffered damage to left optical region during attack on Neathian first defensive shield. Damage permanent.<strong>

Young Zenet Surrow could barely contain her joy. She was selected out of hundreds of other agents to be part of an elite infiltration team. She had been handpicked by the Emperor himself! This was truly a great honor. But as honorable as it was, Zenet Surrow wasn't the kind of person to take things seriously. She was optimistic and positive, but rather immature at the same time, making it a mystery to the other candidates as to why she was chosen over them.

She spent the entire evening dancing through the halls until a soldier scolded her and she quietly returned to her quarters. But the small room she was assigned after her joining the Gundalian army was barely enough to contain the wild girl's joy. After jumping up and down on her bed repeating the good news to herself, she finally calmed down and hugged her pillow so tightly that if it were a puppy, she would have squeezed the life out of it.

"I still can't believe it Contestir! This is our big chance to finally prove ourselves, to finally prove that we're worth something!" Zenet squealed. She threw her arms back and gave a contented laugh as she fell back on her bed and landed with a soft thud.

"Yes, it's truly an honor to be chosen by the Emperor for a special mission, but you need to calm down Zenet. This is a war," Contestir said with emphasis. "You're a good kid Zenet, I don't want to see get hurt any more."

Zenet's demeanor changed as she softly cupped her left cheek around her eye. Her carelessness in the battlefield had caused her not to see an oncoming attack. She swore she would have been left behind by the troops, but thankfully, they spotted her in time during their retreat and she wasn't too badly wounded that she wouldn't be useless.

Zenet had always been an optimistic girl. It was just who she was. And her optimism always had a way of rubbing off on everyone around her, despite the natural attitude of Gundalians.

"Zenet," continued Contestir. "I'm not saying that you should stop being who you are, that's one of the things I love about you. I'm just saying, everyone else here is far more grown up than you are. Perhaps it would be best to act their age."

"You think I'm immature?" she asked in a mixture of hurt and confusion.

"No, no, Zenet. You misunderstand me. I just don't want to see you get in trouble. When they see you being who you are on such an important mission, they may not be very forgiving."

Zenet thought for a moment. Despite how much people liked her optimism, there were the occasional people who saw her as a nuisance. And they made it clear, but it never bothered Zenet before. Perhaps Contestir had a point. The stakes were much higher than they've ever been before. Her planet's victory was dependent on the success of their infiltration mission.

"You're right Contestir, it's time that I grow up. Starting tomorrow, say hello to the new Zenet Surrow!" she proudly announced.

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><p><strong>Name: Jesse Glenn<br>ID: 04832  
>Bakugan: Ventus Plitheon<strong>

War is a terrible thing. That same sentence played through Jesse's mind all evening. Several hours beforehand, he had been hand picked by the Emperor and the Twelve Orders to be part of a special infiltration team that would be sent to Earth. Despite the honor and even though Jesse dared not to decline in front of the Emperor, Jesse hated the idea of war. All it was was senseless fighting for conquest. Innocent people would be caught up in the destruction and nobody would end up the winner.

But who would listen to him? He was just one voice, one voice against the voice of the more powerful and influential Emperor. What chance did he stand in dissuading others in participating in this war?

Jesse had shut himself in his room the past few days, burying his nose in literature collected from Earth. He became particularly fond of poetry, his favorites of which he would rip out and put together in a scrapbook. He became particularly fond of this old, famous poet named William Shakespeare who also had many plays to his name. His works were truly moving and rhythmic. Jesse would spend hours after sunset reading Shakespeare's works. It was like each line was a drop of sweet delicious nectar and Jesse just had to have another taste.

"I don't see why you're so interested in all this stuff!" sneered Plitheon, flying in between Jesse's eyes and another play. Jesse nearly jumped back, having been pulled out of his wonderful trance by his friend and partner.

Jesse subtly closed his eyes and lightly shut the book in his hands. "Because Plitheon," he answered, "these works of art detail the adventures and hardships of great characters. A man's greedy rise to power," he said, holding up a copy of _Macbeth_, "a twisted tale of revenge," he added, holding up a copy of _Hamlet_, "a fairytale of magic and love," he continued, holding up a copy of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, "and…ah…" Jesse stopped and smiled lightly at the play that had become his favorite of all of Shakespeare's works. "_Romeo and Juliet_…" he spoke softly, lightly rubbing his hand over the cover.

"What's so special about that one?" asked Plitheon.

"Now, this play…this play is my favorite. A tragedy of two star-crossed lovers from feuding families who fall in love and take their own lives." Jesse inhaled as if the copy of _Romeo and Juliet_ gave off it's own heavenly scent distinct from all the others.

"Well, why did commit suicide?" asked Plitheon, who actually seemed interested in the play's plot.

"Now, I can't tell you that before you read it, can I? Listen to this, Plitheon." Jesse flipped through the page and began reading a line. " 'But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.' See how he speaks with such love and adoration in his voice."

"I didn't understand a word of what he said. Do all the characters in his plays talk like that?"

"Yes, but it's not about saying what you mean, it's about conveying an image with words of passion. He is saying Juliet is radiant and beautiful. She lights up the world like the morning sun," Jesse explained.

"Wow…" Plitheon was at a loss for words.

"This one is my favorite," Jesse's face beamed with pride as he flipped through the pages of _Romeo and Juliet_. "Juliet is such a beautiful name…if I were to have a daughter some day, I would like to name her Juliet." He turned to Plitheon. "Would you like to hear more?"

Plitheon hesitated for a moment, but answered with a determined "yes!" He flew over and sat comfortably onto Jesse's shoulder.

"I have read this once before already, but would it be all right if we were to start from the beginning?"

"Whatever…" Plitheon answered, pretending to not be interested in the literature that he had been previously making fun of Jesse for taking a liking to.

"I'll take that as a yes," Jesse replied. Heflipped the pages back to the beginning of the play and began reading, " 'Two households, both alike in dignity (in fair Verona, where we lay our scene)…'"

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><p><strong>Name: Mason Brown<br>ID: 31429  
>Bakugan: Subterra Avior<strong>

Mason strolled down the hallways of the royal palace where he had just received word that he would be accompanying other agents to Earth for a secret, stealth mission.

"Well Mason, what do you suppose will happen now?" asked Avior.

"I guess we just follow orders for now. There isn't really much we can do since these orders are directly from the Emperor himself," Mason answered.

"But you said that-" started Avior.

"I know what I said grandma!" Mason snapped back. "Look, this is just a temporary thing. I wouldn't be surprised if the Neathians already sent agents of their own to recruit the humans so we might not even be able to begin the mission at all. And if this mission fails, the Emperor is going to be mad and the Twelve Orders are going to need somebody to use as a scapegoat so they can get away scot clean."

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

"Because that's what war is like. They think we lesser soldiers are idiots but they don't have a clue. When it comes to this war, it's all about picking the right side…and I intend to be on the winning side. I'll do whatever I need to do to survive. As soon as I get my chance, I'm bailing outta here."

"You mean, we're bailing out of here," corrected Avior.

"Avior?" Mason asked, shocked by her words.

"You didn't honestly intend on going without me, did you?"

"Well, I thought that-"

"Mason, I made a promise to your mother I'd look after you. And look after you, I will…to the very end," she added with a nod of determination.

"Thanks, Avior…and sorry about that grandma comment," Mason said.

"Don't worry about," she laughed. "I'm used to it by now."

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><p><strong>Name: Lena Isis<br>ID: 88578  
>Bakugan: Aquos Phosphos<br>Note: Subject displays an intelligence level that rivals that of even Kazarina. Could prove useful.  
>Additional note: Do not inform Kazarina of the previous note.<strong>

Lena was an intelligent girl. Her smarts rivaled that of even Kazarina, but nobody ever openly admitted it for fear of facing Kazarina's wrath. But Lena was intelligent as she was beautiful nonetheless. So it was no surprise when she was selected to join the elite team of Gundalian agents to a secret mission to Earth. The mission: infiltrate the inner circle of the humans called the Brawlers and earn their trust to fight for Gundalia. But since the Gundalians were the bad guys, the Brawlers would never willingly side with them. So some trickery was in order.

And Lena was very good at deceit. Once in elementary school, she was able to convince her entire class that if you planted a dead crab in the ground, it would grow into a crabapple tree. Lena just had a very skillful way of twisting and bending words. In addition, her deep and mysterious voice just made anything she said sound like the truth.

Lena was already quite familiar with the other recruits, Jesse, Zenet, Mason and Sid. They hadn't been that close to begin with but they all knew of each other. Lena had tried to keep the group together, get them to socialize more believing it would help their mission performance if they all knew each other better. But that was difficult to do since everyone else was so preoccupied with their own business. They would be gone from home for a while, perhaps months so they needed to set some affairs in order.

Zenet was trying to act more mature, Mason seemed to not want to talk about the mission at all, Jesse just buried his nose into those Earth books while Sid was just resentful and lashing out to everyone and every thing.

"Lena, it's best not to waste your efforts. This is just another mission. Don't let personal relationships get to you like that," said Phosphos.

"I know, but statistics show that group activities have better results when the participants have closer relationships than no relationship," replied Lena. She pushed her glasses up with her index finger, causing her glasses to reflect the light off them in a way that made her look menacing and intimidating.

"It's always statistics with you, Lena!" scolded Phosphos. "Every thing you mention or talk about always has to do with some sort of logical piece of information you've come across. Hasn't there been anything that you just knew was right because you believed it was right and not because a piece of information says it is?"

Lena stared at her partner coldly for a moment. "It doesn't matter what I believe in, Phosphos. Facts are facts. I'll believe whatever the evidence shows me."

That was how it always was with Lena. She didn't like to talk much about her feelings. She had a big sister, who was both smart and beautiful, and Lena greatly admired her. She was everything Lena wanted to be. But after she died, Lena closed herself off from other people, determined not to feel those emotions again. She relied on facts and logic to deduce things like emotions and other feelings that couldn't be logically explained.

"Lena, feelings are natural. What does your heart tell you?" asked Phosphos.

"My heart doesn't tell me anything. It sends blood to the rest of my body. That's what my brain tells me it does," she answered coldly.

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><p><strong>Name: Sid Arkail<br>ID: 10333  
>Bakugan: Pyrus Rubanoid<br>Note: Subject currently in training under Kazarina, could have physical and psychological trauma. **

"Again!" shouted Kazarina. Sid cried out in pain as the crack of the whip made contact with his back. He should have been used to Kazarina's 'unique' training methods, but the pain always caught him off guard. "Useless piece of trash!" she shrieked. "How could someone as weak as you have been chosen by the Emperor?" Seeing the training as futile, Kazarina left Sid to writhe in pain on the cold floor with his partner, Rubanoid.

Sid grunted in pain and slowly lifted himself off the floor with his arms. He held himself up, hands pressed against the cold floor as drops of blood slowly fell from his face. He tried to sit up, but winced in pain and grabbed his chest near his side.

_'She must have broken another rib…'_ he thought with malice.

Sid slowly stood up, minding his wound, and coughed a bit of blood into his hand. Rubanoid, who had returned to ball form flew over to Sid.

"Sid, are you all right?" he asked.

"Does it look like I'm all right? That Kazarina bitch has it coming to her, I swear," he cursed under his breath.

"Sid! Keep your voice down! You don't want her to catch you saying that!" scolded Rubanoid.

"Whatever, I'd prefer it if they locked me up. I'd rather be alone for the rest of my life than have to go through all this training. And for what? An infiltration mission? Bah!" Sid spat blood onto the floor.

He gathered himself up and limped over to the infirmary to get his wounds treated. This would be his fourth trip there this week! Normally, he would go about once a week, but Kazarina had increased their amount of training sessions. Either she actually wanted to toughen Sid up so he would succeed – which was actually very unlikely – or she was just looking for someone to beat up on. It's always so easy for the superiors to find underlings whom they can abuse.

Sid hated Kazarina. Almost everyone did! But she was useful in the eyes of the Emperor, that was the only reason she was still alive. Every night, Sid, and what he thought would be hundreds of other soldiers, cursed under his breath for Kazarina to get her comeuppance. With everything she did and the way she treated people, she deserved whatever the universe had planned for her.

After Sid got patched up at the infirmary, he slowly limped back to his quarters, careful not to run into Kazarina or any of the Twelve Orders. They would all simply berate him for appearing weak. As he passed through the hallways, he managed to duck behind the corner just as Gill and Airzel exited a room.

"So, Master Gill, who is this new recruit the Emperor is bringing in to lead the infiltration mission to Earth?" asked Airzel.

"Supposedly, he is one of the Guardians of the Dark Bakugan," answered Gill.

"The Dark Bakugan? Weren't they banished to the Underground long ago? I thought they were all dead by now."

"Yes, they were. Their numbers did wane over the years, but there is still one that survives. Unfortunately, anyone who even knew what the Forbidden Powers were and what they could have been used for died along with them. As far as we know, those powers are a complete mystery."

"So this recruit, does he have any battling experience?" asked Airzel.

"From what I could gather, no. He has lived his entire life since childhood underground with that Dark Bakugan. He doesn't know sunlight let alone social interaction. He has been alone for very long."

"Well, he better learn how to adjust, otherwise the Emperor will have our heads," said Airzel.

"Agreed," said Gill.

Once they left the hall, Sid punched the wall in anger.

"Sid, what's wrong?" asked Rubanoid.

Sid growled before responding. "They're bringing in some punk to lead our mission? Who does he think he is?"

"Sid, I'm sure he's just a newbie. You won't have to worry about him outshining you."

"That's not what I'm angry about. Why does he get to live in complete isolation away from all this when people like me have to be persecuted and abused every day?"

"Sid…"

Sid turned away from Rubanoid and punched the wall again. But this time, he didn't punch it like before. He was about to, but then relaxed and just lay his hand against the wall.

"What I would give for isolation from these people…"

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><p><strong>Name: Ren Krawler<br>ID: Soldier Identification Number not found  
>Bakugan: Darkus Linehalt<br>WARNING: Subject confirmed to posses Forbidden Powers. Proceed with EXTREME caution!**

All his life, Ren Krawler had only known darkness. When he was only about four years old, he was taken deep underground by his grandfather and introduced to the last living Dark Bakugan, Linehalt. From that moment on, it had been Ren's duty to protect Linehalt. But how could one little boy protect a giant, vicious looking Bakugan? Shouldn't it be the other way around?

Ren asked his grandfather this question, to which he replied that the Forbidden Powers that lay dormant inside the Dark Bakugan have long been sought out by greedy hands and that it was Ren's duty to keep those powers safe, for a single instance of misuse could wipe out an entire planet's living organisms. Though Ren resented being forced to live underground, he became rather close with Linehalt. They'd lay in the grass and stare up at the ceiling which separated them from the world above, the world full of other people and sunlight, envious of how each and every one of them had the privilege to live on the surface while he was fated to fade away in the dark in isolation.

"Do you think we'll ever be able to live up in the sunlight?" asked Linehalt one day.

Ren saw a tiny little glowing creature fly by. He instantly sat up in time to see it disappear into the distance. "If a creature of the light can live down here…then we should be able to live up there," Ren reasoned.

"Well, I hope that one day, we will get our chance," said Linehalt.

And get their chance they did. For soon after Ren turned sixteen, he was summoned from the deep crevices of his home to the surface. Ren and Linehalt could barely contain their joy. With eager anticipation, they made their way to the surface, only to discover the dismal site of their home world. Gundalia was dark and barren. The only light came from the cities, and those lights were a frightening green which only served to project an atmosphere of dread. For so long he hoped to be able to live among his own kind on the surface, but the sight of the condition of his home made his heart heavy with sadness.

"You see, Ren, this is why we need the Sacred Orb that the Neathian's have. With it's power, we can restore our home to it's former glory. That is where you come in," spoke the Emperor.

"Sire?" Ren asked, bowing.

"I need you to lead a small team of agents down to Earth. Located there, is a team of skilled battlers called the Battle Brawlers. We need you to get them to side with us by any means necessary and do it before the Neathians earn their trust."

"I understand."

"Excellent. Airzel, bring in the recruits," Barodius ordered. Airzel waved at the soldiers standing at the throne doors. They opened and five individuals walked in: a boy with blond hair wearing red, a boy with dark hair wearing orange and brown, a girl with blue hair and glasses, a boy with blond and dark red hair in a long great coat carrying a book, and a girl wearing yellow, white and blue with green hair and horns covering the left side of her face.

"These will be your teammates, Ren: Sid Arkail, Mason Brown, Lena Isis, Jesse Glenn and Zenet Surrow." Barodius introduced each of the recruits. Out of all of them, Sid, the blonde in red, was glaring daggers at Ren. Ren nearly jumped out of his skin when he looked at Sid.

_'What's his problem?'_ thought Ren. He turned his attention back to the Emperor who was still speaking but could still feel Sid's eyes on him.

"Each of them have been had picked to accompany you to Earth. They will follow your orders, so it's up to you that this mission succeeds. Do so, and I will reveal to you the secrets of the Dark Bakugan's Forbidden Powers and I will grant you your long desired freedom."

Ren nearly jumped when he heard the word 'freedom.' That's all he ever wanted: to be free from his underground prison in the darkness. And this was all he had to do in order to get it? Ren said his answer before he even thought it. "Yes! I mean, thank you Emperor Barodius, I will do as you command."

Ren's face beamed with joy. He had finally gotten the freedom he had desired for so long. He would let nothing stand in his way of sweet, precious freedom.

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><p><strong>Well, I really hope you guys enjoyed that. This is why I portrayed them the way I did. <strong>

**Zenet: I noticed that Zenet has shown two different personalities (she was mean when on Earth, but later appeared to be frightened and fun loving). So I thought it would be proper to have her be immature and then act mature so she wouldn't get in trouble.**

**Jesse: I'm sure Plitheon is OOC, but I kinda liked how I made him a little interested in Shakespeare, which Jesse was already very interested in.**

**Mason: Mason was kinda hard to do, so I tried to make him be the same as he already was, except ready to do what it took to survive, namely his defection in "Secrets of the Orb"**

**Lena: I decided to have Lena close off emotions and rely solely on evidence, logic and facts.**

**Sid: Sid is pretty much jealous of how Ren gets to live a life of solitude.**

**Ren: Not much to say about Ren since his backstory had already been covered enough in the official series.**

**Review ~ZP**


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